sinistral

sinistral — adjective

  • sinistralpositive
  • more sinistralcomparative
  • most sinistralsuperlative

1. found on, belonging to, or facing toward the left part of a body or object.

1.形容詞C2
釋義

found on, belonging to, or facing toward the left part of a body or object.

例句

The surgeon noted a small scar on the sinistral side of Romi's chest.

before noun: sinistral side / surface

Old maps often placed the sinistral margin closest to the harbour wall.

同義詞
  • left

    the plain everyday word; 'sinistral' is the formal technical equivalent

  • left-hand

    common in describing one side of an object, less formal than 'sinistral'

反義詞
  • dextral

    the matching formal term for the right side

  • right

    everyday opposite

用法筆記

Restricted to formal anatomical, biological, and technical writing; everyday English uses 'left' instead. Almost always sits before the noun it describes.

常見錯誤

❌Turn sinistral at the corner.
✅Turn left at the corner.
💡'sinistral' is a technical adjective for a side, not a direction word you give in speech.

2. tending to use the left hand, foot, or eye more skilfully than the right.

2.形容詞C2
釋義

tending to use the left hand, foot, or eye more skilfully than the right.

例句

Being sinistral, Tunde learned to write with the page tilted to one side.

after verb / as a description of a person

The coach quickly spotted that Nadia was sinistral and gave her a left-handed glove.

同義詞
  • left-handed

    the everyday equivalent; 'sinistral' is formal or scientific

  • southpaw

    informal, mainly in boxing and baseball

反義詞

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes a living person or animal's preferred hand or foot, not the left side of an object. Plain English prefers 'left-handed'.

常見錯誤

❌My sinistral glove is missing.
✅My left-handed glove is missing.
💡'sinistral' describes the person who is left-handed, not the object made for them.

3. describing a snail or sea shell whose spiral twists to the left as it rises, wit

3.形容詞C2
釋義

describing a snail or sea shell whose spiral twists to the left as it rises, with the opening on the left.

例句

Eric was thrilled to find a rare sinistral shell on the rocky beach.

before noun: sinistral shell / snail

Among thousands of snails, only one tiny sinistral specimen coiled the wrong way.

同義詞
  • left-coiling

    plainer description used in some field guides

  • left-handed

    loosely used of shells, but less precise than 'sinistral'

反義詞
  • dextral

    the common rightward-coiling form

用法筆記

Used in zoology and shell collecting. The matching term 'dextral' describes the far more common rightward coil; pairing the two is standard in this domain.